Edvard Munch (Art Profiles for Kids)

Many people instantly recognize The Scream a harrowing painting of a person in pain. It appears on countless posters T-shirts and coffee mugs. The main character in the Scream horror movies wears a Halloween mask modeled on the painting. Yet not many people are familiar with the artist Norwegian painter Edvard Munch. He lost his mother and his sister to tuberculosis; and he was raised by an aunt and his very strict father. With another sister on the verge of mental collapse Munch became familiar with death and mental anguish at a young age. These feelings are reflected in The Scream and much of his other masterpieces. From his troubles Munch spawned a new type of art called expressionism and produced over 20 000 pieces. Find out how Munch became one of just a handful of artists who has an entire museum devoted exclusively to his works.